On disinterest

While the rest of the Saskatchewan Con caucus has at least recognized the obvious problems with PMS not keeping the party's promises on equalization, Saskatchewan's lone federal cabinet minister apparently isn't particularly concerned about (or interested in) the issue:

Last month, Brian Fitzpatrick, the Conservatives' caucus chair in Saskatchewan, said the equalization problem is going to cause the government "no end of political difficulty" in the next federal election.

However, National Revenue Minister Carol Skelton says that she rarely hears about it in her conversations with her constituents...

(T)he deal in question could mean some $800 million a year to the province, money that could be used for health care, highways and education.

Skelton says she understands the significance of this, but "the average person on the street doesn't understand it." As for whether it will cause the party any political difficulty, Skelton says: "I don't know. I guess I haven't thought about it that much."

PMS may well be banking on the issue being one that isn't all that easily understood. But aside from the ease of understanding the loss of $800 million in provincial resources, there's also that small matter of trying to be seen as a government that keeps its promises. And when Saskatchewan voters go back to the polls, they'll have plenty of reason not to believe the Cons have any intention of following through on their new platform if the party's main previous commitment to Saskatchewan gets scrapped.